"Well-bred people arrive as nearly at the appointed dinner hour as they can. It is a very vulgar assumption of importance purposely to arrive half an hour behind time; besides the folly of allowing eight or 10 hungry people such a tempting opportunity of discussing your foibles."

It may be 150 years since this essential etiquette bible was first published, but within its pages is timeless advice on all manner of matters, from the dinner table to marriage, and from smoking to fashion.